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| Virgin Galactic crash: Richard Branson vows to persevere with space travel after test pilot's death | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Sir Richard Branson has vowed to persevere in his mission to lead commercial flights into space after the death of a pilot killed when a Virgin Galactic rocket crashed during a test flight in the Californian desert. | Sir Richard Branson has vowed to persevere in his mission to lead commercial flights into space after the death of a pilot killed when a Virgin Galactic rocket crashed during a test flight in the Californian desert. |
| SpaceShipTwo suffered a “serious anomaly” during a test flight conducted by partner business Scaled Composites. Another pilot, who managed to eject from the craft, was also injured and taken to a local hospital with "moderate to severe" injuries. | SpaceShipTwo suffered a “serious anomaly” during a test flight conducted by partner business Scaled Composites. Another pilot, who managed to eject from the craft, was also injured and taken to a local hospital with "moderate to severe" injuries. |
| Witnesses described seeing the spacecraft explode at 45,000ft and fall to earth two minutes after being launched from carrier plane WhiteKnightTwo over the Mojave Desert. | Witnesses described seeing the spacecraft explode at 45,000ft and fall to earth two minutes after being launched from carrier plane WhiteKnightTwo over the Mojave Desert. |
| Sir Richard, who is expected to arrive in Mojave today, said the journey to the spaceport was “one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make”. | Sir Richard, who is expected to arrive in Mojave today, said the journey to the spaceport was “one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make”. |
| Writing on a blog post on his website, the billionaire business man said he was “shocked and saddened” by the event, but pledged to continue space travel. | Writing on a blog post on his website, the billionaire business man said he was “shocked and saddened” by the event, but pledged to continue space travel. |
| “We've always known that the road to space is extremely difficult - and that every new transportation system has to deal with bad days early in their history,” he wrote. | “We've always known that the road to space is extremely difficult - and that every new transportation system has to deal with bad days early in their history,” he wrote. |
| ”Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together.“ | ”Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together.“ |
| Mr Branson said he would cooperate fully with all the authorities involved in the investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board is due to begin its investigation today. | Mr Branson said he would cooperate fully with all the authorities involved in the investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board is due to begin its investigation today. |
| Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides told a press conference in California the company “owed it to the folks who were flying these vehicles, as well as those who’ve been working so hard on them, to understand this and to move forward”. | Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides told a press conference in California the company “owed it to the folks who were flying these vehicles, as well as those who’ve been working so hard on them, to understand this and to move forward”. |
| Wreckage from Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Mr Whitesides said the injured pilot was "as well as could be expected“. Neither pilot has been named. | Wreckage from Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Mr Whitesides said the injured pilot was "as well as could be expected“. Neither pilot has been named. |
| Virgin Galactic has been the frontrunner in the race to send paying customers into space and Sir Richard said last month that he hoped to travel with his son on the first flight next spring. | Virgin Galactic has been the frontrunner in the race to send paying customers into space and Sir Richard said last month that he hoped to travel with his son on the first flight next spring. |
| Seats have been sold for over £150,000 with full payment due at the time of booking. The company says customers have visited Sir Richard's Caribbean home, Necker Island, and experienced G-force training. | Seats have been sold for over £150,000 with full payment due at the time of booking. The company says customers have visited Sir Richard's Caribbean home, Necker Island, and experienced G-force training. |
| The moment the rocket exploded Physicist Stephen Hawking, singer Justin Bieber, comedian Russell Brand and actor Ashton Kutcher are among the celebrities who have already signed up for flights. Virgin Galactic said it has taken deposits worth more than £50 million from about 700 people. | The moment the rocket exploded Physicist Stephen Hawking, singer Justin Bieber, comedian Russell Brand and actor Ashton Kutcher are among the celebrities who have already signed up for flights. Virgin Galactic said it has taken deposits worth more than £50 million from about 700 people. |
| Earlier this year, Virgin Galactic unveiled a partnership with Nasa to undertake a commercial research flight on the spacecraft, which completed its first powered test flight in April 2013. | Earlier this year, Virgin Galactic unveiled a partnership with Nasa to undertake a commercial research flight on the spacecraft, which completed its first powered test flight in April 2013. |
| Speaking after the crash, Nasa said: “The pain of this tragedy will be felt by all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploration. | Speaking after the crash, Nasa said: “The pain of this tragedy will be felt by all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploration. |
| “Space flight is incredibly difficult, and we commend the passion of all in the space community who take on risk to push the boundaries of human achievement.” | “Space flight is incredibly difficult, and we commend the passion of all in the space community who take on risk to push the boundaries of human achievement.” |